The Boost: Kim Jong-un provokes the world, UAB's new property, today in history, more

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea at an undisclosed location of North Korea. Kim issued "important" guidelines on how to bolster the army and protect the nation's sovereignty at the high-level ruling Workers' Party meeting, state media said Sunday, an indication Pyongyang has finalized formal procedural steps and is ready to conduct an atomic test. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service)

The Boost is a daily guide to news,
living, and entertainment in Birmingham and in Alabama. Here's your boost forTuesday, Feb. 12, 2013.

Did North Korea conduct a nuclear test?

The nation of North Korea reports that it set off a miniaturized nuclear device in an underground test last night (which was Tuesday in North Korea).

The test was detected by seismic monitoring agencies in South Korea, Japan and in the U.S., according to the Associated Press.

The move is seen as in defiance of the United Nations, the United States, and China.

According to the New York Times, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "was attempting to increase his status both as a worthy leader among his people in North Korea and as a foe to be taken seriously among the nations his government considers its enemies."

North Korea could face increased sanctions by the U.N., according to CNN. South Korea is the current chair of the U.N. Security Council, and China could agree to more sanctions on North Korea.

Today in history: Continuing the pope theme from yesterday, it's
worth mentioning that on this day in the year 881, Pope John VIII made a guy
called Charles the Fat Holy Roman Emperor. He had an uncle named Charles the
Bald. I'm not sure if giving people nicknames based on their primary physical
characteristic shows a lack of creativity on the part of Dark Age Europeans, or
is actually a really simple and effective system for identifying people.

In
Birmingham history, Alabama environmental activist Pat Byington was born on
this day in 1966. Byington writes the Bama Environmental News, or BEN,
newsletter, and runs a blog based on green news for Alabama. Happy birthday,
Pat!

What would you do with UAB's new
property? The
University of Alabama at Birmingham now has permission from the University of
Alabama System trustees to purchase a 2.4 acre property at 430 12th Street
South. That property was originally slated for an on-campus football stadium,
an idea which the UA System board shot down in 2011, causing some frustration
among students and on-campus stadium advocates.

Now the
plans for the property are up in the air, according to reports by AL.com's Evan
Belanger. The property could be combined with other UAB properties to form a
four-block "super block," and according to a UAB spokesperson possible
buildings in the works include "campus housing, academic buildings or athletic
facilities."

Whatever
use is slated for the property, it could have a big impact on the redevelopment
of the Railroad Park area, sometimes referred to as the parkside area. What
would you do with the property? Stadium? Dragon-themed theme park? Red
brick-making factory? Let us know in the comments.

What to do today in Birmingham: Losing your faith in Birmingham?
Then head out to Vulcan Park to see what local high school kids think is cool
about this city. The park is hosting an exhibition, "What Makes the Magic City
So Magical," of art by Ramsay High School art students. The exhibition runs
through Feb. 25. Admission included
with park admission: adults $6 (plus tax); Seniors $5 (plus tax); Children 5 -
12 $4 (plus tax); under 4 free.

The numbers game: $19.5 billion.

That's
how much Alabama's exports were worth last year, a record and a 9.4 percent
increase over last year's figures.

Weather and traffic: The rain and storms are expected
to continue Tuesday and into Tuesday night, with a 100 percent chance of rain,
according to the National Weather Service. The continuing rain is due to a
stationary cold front.

Watch this: Janet Simpson and Kevin Nicholson
of the Delicate Cutters play a song for this episode the Birmingham Sessions,
an AL.com series of acoustic musical performances by local Birmingham acts
filmed in the Airstream trailers behind Bottletree Café. Enjoy this performance
of "Wound."

The Boost is curated five days a week by Madison Underwood. Send tips,
comments, suggestions, and insults to munderwood@al.com.